Quiet flow controlling apparatus



Aug. 10, 1937. w. F. PETERSON ET AL QUIET FLOW CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 10, 1936 Gmwws Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QUIET FLOW CONTROLLING APPARATUS land Application February 10, 1936, Serial No. 63,258

13 Claims. (Cl. 138-40) This invention relates to means for. throttling or retarding the flow of liquids with a minimum of noise in the apparatus as a whole.

In our copending application Serial No. 737,842,

filed July 31, 1934, we have described a device operating for this purpose, and illustrated as comprising a specific form of structure.

In lieu of using slowly-filled and quickly-discharged iiushing tanks for toilets and like devices, it has also been the practice to-employ automatically-closed valves which in one operation discharge quickly a metered quantity of water, and then close again. These devices are noisy at high water supplypressures, and the rate of flow during the period of maximum flow cannot be controlled by the automatic valves themselves. It is a common practice to install an automatic flushing valve in connection with a regulating stop valve which performs the function of shutting oil the supply for permitting reairs to the automatic valve, and also the funcion of regulating the flow of water so as to secure the best functioning without the supply of water at too great or too small a rate. These regulating valves are usually made with extra large passageways; and hence when .the valves are wide open, very little noise occurs in the regulating valve; but with higher water supply pressures, this leads to excessive flow of water through the apparatus with consequent waste, excessive turbulence, and disagreeable splashing and other noises at the automatic valve and at the discharge point. On the other hand, when the regulating valve is partially closed, the noise caused in this valve is even greater than the noises developed in the supply line and the automatic valves.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for retarding or regulating the flow 49 of liquid, which occupies only a comparatively restricted space for an optimum volume-rate of flow therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide such means with devices for regulating the re- 45 tardation effect upon the water.

With these and other objects in. view, as will appear in the course of the following specification and claims, illustrative forms of practicing the invention are shown on the accompanying draw- 50 ing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a conventional assembly 01' an automatic flushing valve installation in conjunction with a toilet. 3

Figure 2 is an upright sectional view through a conventionally illustrated automatic flushing valve and through the supply means connecting this valve with the toilet, and including a retarding device according to the present invention. 1 i" Wit] Figure 3 is a sectional view of a regulating stop 5 valve which has been modified to present an embodiment of the present invention.

It has been found,v as set out in our copending application, that the shape of the cross-section of flow and of discharge has a most im- 10 portant influence upon the amount of noise, or upon the critical velocity at which noise occurs; and that the thinner or narrower, the cross-section, the quieter the flow or the higher the critical velocity at which noise occurs. In the 00- 15 pending" application, a thin sheet of water was obtained by simply deforming the discharge section of a flow tube so that opposed walls were presented at a distance irom one another which permitted the flow of water under retardation 20 by the proximity oi these walls to each aid every filament oi the flowing stream. In the particular illustrated form of the copending application, an increase of quantity of flow can be obtained by increasing the original diameter oi 5 the tube. This, however, gives rise to difliculties where the volume-rate of flow must be large, as in automatic flushing valves, in distinction from the ball cock used in more slowly filling and flushing tanks; and, therefore, the use of the 30 illustrated form of the copending application in some instances would lead to a bulky, cumbersome and impractical structure.

' The present invention utilizes the sheet-like flow but secures a large volume of flow with 35 practical retardation and quieting in a small space. Fundamentally, the present invention differs from the illustrated term in the prior application in providing for this flow in the form of an annular sheet" rather than in a flat sheet.

In Fig. l is illustrateda conventional way of employing an automatically-closing flushing valve for a toilet. The valve SV is connected to the water supply line (not shown) for receiving water therefrom and delivering it through a nipple N to the flushing valve FV. When the handle H of the flushing valve FV is operated, a metered quantity of water is discharged through the supply tube ST to the toilet bowl TB of which a portion is shown as providing a passage through which this water moves in the usual way for flushing the bowl. In such a conventional assembly. regardless of whether the tube is connected to the top, back or side of the bowl 25 material.

35 lower end of, the cylinder.

fixture, it has a straight portion for a distance of several inches.

As shown in Fig. 2, this straight portion of the tube ST may be provided, according to the pres- 5 cut invention, with a structure for throttling or retarding the flow therein, in order to obtain a flushing operation with a minimum of noise. In the illustrated form, the tube ST is joined to the lower end of the valve W by telescoping into a socket provided by boring a recess I therein. A

water-tight joint at this point is obtained by using a flexible packing Ill with a coupling nut l I which is threaded onto the outside of the lower end of the valve W in the usual way. In usual practice, the supply tube ST is of brass tubing having an outside diameter of about 1 inches and an inside diameter of about 1% inches.

A cylinder I2 is inserted concentrically within the supply tube ST and is of an external diameter less'thlan the internal diameter of the tube ST to provide an annular passage for the water on its way from the valve W to the toilet bowl TB.

It is preferred to form this cylinder hollow with ported on the upper end of this tube. The lower end of the rod I3 is connected to a smaller spider I! which has an external diameter substantially,

equalto the internal diameter oi the supply tube ST and which is located substantially below the The two spiders cooperate in maintaining the cylinder I! in its concentric position.

The upper end of the cylinder preferably has a rounded section It to prevent vena contracta ef- 40 facts as the water passes into the annular space.

The lower end of the cylinder I2 is formed to provide a sharp edge at the outer surface, the inner wall of the cylinder [2 being beveled for this purpose, in order to'permit water already present below the cylinder to meet the water passing downward in the annular space 20 at a low angle, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2.

The tube ST and the cylinder II are each of substantially uniform diameters, and are mounted so concentricalLv with respect to one another so that the annular space 20 is of uniform thickness. Thus, so to speak, an annular sheet" of water is permitted to pass while the flushing valve FV is open. The axial length of this annular passageway is determined by the length of the cylinder l2, its thickness by the difference in the external diameter of the cylinder l2 and the internal diameter of the tube ST, and its peripheral length by the size of the supply tube ST. The cross-secgo tional area of the annular passageway (that is, the productoi the thickness of the sheet times its peripheral length) is always less than the cross sectional area of the main water supply line and less than the minimum passageway through the valves 8V and FV when these are wide open, in

order that the minimum cross-section of flow shall then be that provided in this annular passageway.

It is preferred to have the thickness oi this 7 annular sheet between 0.020 and 0.060 inch, de-

pendent upon the water pressure supplied to the apparatus; the higher the pressure, the less the thickness. e

The axial length of the annular sheet of water,

and thus of the cylinder II, should always be at least ten times the thickness of the annular sheet, and as much longer than this minimum as feasible. In a typical installation, the cylinder I2 is from two to four inches long.

In operation, when the handle H is operated,

the stem 25. raises the body 20 of the valve from its seat, so that water may flow from the nipple N, past the valve 26 and through the spider i4, and thence downward through the annular passageway iormed by the cylinder i2 and the supply tube ST. As the cross-sectional area of the annular passageway is less than that of other parts of the line and the valves SV and FV, the effect is to retard the rate of flow in the system as a whole; and this retardation is accomplished quietly within the annular passageway itself and without noise in or at the discharge therefrom, and therewith the velocity through the rest of the system is reduced below the critical velocity at which noise occurs; and the back pressures to the valves FV and SV reduce the pressure differentials thereat so that the system as a whole operates without objectionable noise.

During the cycle of operation of the flushing valveFV, the metering passage 21 also receives water, and the valve body 26 is gradually lowered until it shuts oil the flow in the usual way. During the lowering of the valve body, the reduced lower end 25a enters a passage 28b which is only slightly larger in size; and thus a reduced flow is produced for a period of several seconds prior to the final closure of the valve body 26 upon its seat, for permitting the discharge of water from the toilet bowl, for instance, by siphon action, with a breaking of the siphon; and thereafter permitting the reduced flow to continue for rescaling the trap and providing a full watersurface in the bowl. At this time the point of maximum constriction will normally occur between the members a and 26b, but the presence of the cylinder I! in the supply tube ST serves to maintain a body of water between the valve body 26 and the cylinder l2, so that the water passing between the portions 260 and 26b is discharged into a larger body of water, under a slight additional back pressure created by the retardation of the annular sheet.

During the cycle of operation of the flushing valve FV, the metering passage TI also receives water, and the valve body 26 is gradually lowered until it shuts oil the flow in the usual way. At the time of shut-oil, the usual noises are quieted by the action of the cylinder H, as its surfaces and those of the supply tube ST have maintained a body of water between the cylinder i1 and the valve body 26 for receiving the water passing the valvebody 26 during the shut-oi! period, and thus reducing t e usual shut-oi! noises.

In a spe iflc instance, with a water supply pressure. of pounds which is maintained during the full flushing period at the inlet to the flushing valve FV, it was found that a cylinder I! having an axial length of 4 inches and being of such external diameter as to provide a thickness in the annular sheet of 0.025 inch gave a suillcient volume of flow for the proper flushing oi the toilet, and at the same time eliminated substantially the objectionable noises during the full flushing, the refill and the shut-off periods of the valve W.

In another instance, with a thickness of 0.030 inch in the annular sheet and a supply pressure of 60 pounds, similar quietness was obtained in the system. Upon increasing the supply pressure to 95 pounds, and adjusting the usual stop valve SV to determine a proper rate of flow into the bowl, quietness was likewise obtained in the entire system.

The cylinder l2 need not be accurately positioned and rigidly supported'by the spiders l4 and 15, as looseness can be tolerated. With such looseness, the water flowing in the annular sheet operates to eifect a displacement of the cylinder l2 and center it in the supply tube ST, it it is incorrectly centered originally.

While in the form shown in Fig. 2 the quieting device has been located downstreamward of the final valve (that is, between the flushing valve FV and the toilet bowl TB), it is likewise feasible to provide the quieting device between the supply line and the final valve.

- Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 3, in which the quieting device is incorporated in the valve SV. In this structure, the water supply connection WS leads into the body 30 of the valve which is illustrated as having an internal flange 3| providing at one surface a seat and having its other edge rounded. Beyond this flange is a conical passage 32 leading to the chamber 33 which is in communication with the outlet chamber 34 formed within the connection for the nipple N. In

.alignment with the conical portion 32, the valve is provided with an aperture having threads 35 for receiving a threaded cover having an aperture therethrough, the lower portion of which is threaded to receive and support the threaded stem 31. A packing 38 and nut 39 seal the stem against leakage. The stem 31 has a reduced diameter 40 which is a forced flt into the boss 4| of a regulating plug 42 which is illustrated as having a conical shape corresponding to the shape of the conical passage 32, and having its larger free end provided with a sharp edge 43 corresponding to the sharp edge H in the form shown in Fig. 2; and having its closed smaller end provided with rounded corners 44 corresponding to the rounded corners I 6 in the form shown in Fig. 2. The smaller end of the body 42 is provided with a fiber or like washer 46 for closing against the seat M, which is held in position by a screw 41. Thus the device may also be employed as a shut-off valve.

The parts are, however, so constructed and arranged that when the valve is being used as a regulating valve, the restriction at the annular passageway is greater than that at the seat and the seat washer, so that the point of maximum restriction is always at the annular passage, which quietly retards the flow, rather than at the valve seat where the retardation of the flow causes noise, The plug 42 and the conical passage 32 are so proportioned that there is always an annular conical space 50 therebetween, even when the valve is seated and closed.

The angularities of the conical passage 32 and of the plug 42 are important. It is preferred to have the same apex angle for the conical passage and the plug (that is, the angle subtended between two generatrices located in the same diametrical plane) so as to provide a conical annular passageway therebetween of uniform width throughout its length. It is also preferred to have such apex angle less than 30 degrees. When, however, an apexangle in one of these members of more than 30 degrees is utilized, it is preferable to have the apex angle of the plug or inside member slightly greater than that of the conical'passageway or outside member. In this way it is possible to avoid an excessive and undesirable increase in cross-sectional area of the annular passageway from inlet to outlet. In valves for the purpose herein described, it has been found that an in crease in such area of over 33 per cent, with an annular sheet of uniform thickness delimited by a plug inch long, for example, leads to the production of noise in the device itself. It is to be noted that for a given apex angle and for a given axial length of conical annular passageway, the increase of area between the inlet and outlet ends expressed in percentage varies with the actual diameter of the passageway at any given point. Therefore as the axial diameter of the conical annular passageway is decreased, it is necessary to reduce the apex angle thereof in order to avoid any excess percentage increase in area. It has also been found that when the apex angle of the plug or inside member is less than that of the conical passageway or outside member, there is a tendency to noise even at relatively low velocities and that the apex angle of the plug should never be more than 4 degrees smaller than the apex angle of the conical passageway.

The thickness of the annular sheet of water may be varied, in this type of construction, by rotating the stem 31 so that the conical plug 42 approaches or recedes from the seat 3 l In adjusting the valve of Fig. 3, after it has been used for shutting off the supply, the stem 31 is rotated to withdraw the conical plug 42 and open the passage between the washer 46 and the seat 3|. This rotation is continued, while operating the flushing valve, until a suflicient rate of flow is obtained to properly flush the bowl. Because a valve for this purpose must be made compactly, the maximum diameter and length of the annular passageway is limited. It has been found that when the axial length of the conical passage 32 is of the order of 'V of an inch, the axial length of the conical plug 42 is of the length of of an inch, the apex angle is 22 degrees, and the large diameter of the plug is 1% of an inch, very satisfactory results are obtained in a device for flushing the normal toilet bowl with city pressure ranging from 30 to 100 pounds. Under a water pressure of pounds, quietness and the desired rate of flow were obtained when the parts were adjusted to give an annular sheet of water having a thickness of 0.020 inch.

As set out above, the. thickness of the annular sheet should not be over 0.125 inch, and its length in the direction of flow at least ten times its thickness.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, but may be modified in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A quiet flow retarding device for liquids comprising means providing a conduit, and a body located in said conduit and supported against axial movement relative thereto, the internal wall of the conduit and the adjacent wall of the body providing an annular space which remains constantly open for the flow of liquid which causes the liquid during the operation of the device and to flow in a sheet having a substantially uniform thickness of less than 0.125 inch for a length in the direction of flow of more than ten times the thickness of the sheet.

2. A quiet flow retarding device for liquids, comprising a cylindrical outer conduit, and a body located in and spaced from said conduit, the internal wall of the conduit and the adjacent wall of the body being concentric and cylindrical for a distance of not less than 2 inches and 3. A quiet flow-retarding device for liquids,

compnsln'ga conduit downstreamward ot a bios-.. ing valve,andla body located in said conduit, the e internal wall of the conduit and'the adjacent wall Jot the body providing an annular space io'rthe inch.

' flow-ot llqui d, the walls being substantially unitorrnly; spaced a'distance oi notlrnore than 0.125 inch'tor a distance in the axial direction ten times the said spacing distance.

at least 4. A quiet flow retarding device for liquids,

comprising-. acylind'rical outer conduit,.a cylindrical member located in and spaced from said one end of the-member, and means connected to the supporting means and extending to the conconduit, supporting means projecting axially at duit walls for maintaining the member in posicomprisingmeans providing a conduit, a body lo-' cated in and spaced from the'conduit, sai d*contion.

5. A quiet flow retarding device for liquids.

duit and body havin'gconcentric conical forms with substantially the same apex angles for providing an annular passagespaceand means for' relatively moving the body ,and conduit axially lor varying the spacingtherebetween, the said space havingfa length in the direction of flowvof at least onehalt inchand a thickness of less than 0.060 inch.

B. A quietnowretarding' device for liquids,

' comprising means providing a conduit, a body lo'-' cated in and spaced from the conduit, said conduit andbody' having concentric conical forms with substantiallyv the same apex angles for pro- 4 viding an annular passage space, the body being shorter than the conical portion of the conduit I means. for relatively moving the body and conso thatthey'may be 'relatively moved axially I while continuing to provide a passage space of constant length in the direction of flow, and

duit. Y I

"I. A quiet flow retarding device for liquids, comprising means providing a conduit, and a body, located in and substantially uniformly spaced from the internal wall of the conduit, said body'being hollow and having a closed upstrearnward end and-an. opendownstreamward end into which liquid may pass from a point downstreamward oi the body, the edge at the downstreamward end being beveled internally.

8, A quiet flow retarding deviceior, liquids,

comprising means providing, a ,conduit, and a,

body located in and spaced from the conduit, the body having rounded inlet edges at the upstream end and being substantiallyuniiormly spaced for subs tantially'the entire length of its wall away irom the internal wall or the conduit by a distance of less than 0.125 inch,

9.,A quiet ,flow retarding device for liquids,-

comprisingmeans providing a conduit, and a body located in and spaced from the conduit, both conduit and body having conical adjacent walls so that-the space therebetween is of substantially a distance not exceed g uniform, thickness, the

larger end being notover- 33 percent. 10.--A, quiet tlow retardingvdevice for'liqui'ds,

end otzsmaller diameter being upstreamward andthe increaseot cross:

sectional areas of the'annular space from the sm'allerto the comprising means providing aconduit, and a'body located in and spaced from the conduit, bothco'n- 'duit and body having conical adjacent walls with an apex angleoi substantially 22degrees and being spaced substantially, 0.020 to 0.040 inch and vover-. lapping in the direction of flowfa distance of at least ten times the spacing thereof.

11. A- quiet flow-retarding device for controlling the flow of water, comprising a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, a body located in said conduit between the inlet and the-outlet'and means for a supporting the body againstmovementi while liq-- uid'is flowing-from the inlet toward the outlet, the internal wall of the conduit'and the adjacent wall oi the body pr'ovidingan annular space for-the how or liquid, the walls being spaced 9. distance 01 .020 to .060 inch for a length of at least ten times said spacing distance, said conduit being straight and having a substantially uniform crossjsection qpp site the body, the=upstreamend of saidbody I being located downstreamward of the inlet end of an axial direction. '1

12; Aquietflow retarding devicei'or liquids cornprising means providing a conduit, and a body located in said conduit and supported against. axialmovement relative thereto, the internal wall 01 the ten times the thickness 01 the sheet.

the conduit so that wateradjacent the walls of the conduit can'pass into said annular space in v 13. A quiet flow retarding device for'liquids,

comprising a conduit extending downstreamward from a closing valve and having a straight portion of uniform cross section, a bodylocated 'in said conduit in the portionthereot having the uniform cross-section, and means for supporting the body against movement while liquid is flowing through said conduit from the closing valve, the. internal wall of the conduit and adjacent wall of the body providing'an annular space iorthe how of liquid, V the wallsbeing spaced 9; distance of substantially 0.20 to 0.60 mon tor a length of'at least ten times said spacing distance, the 'upstreamward end of said body being located downstreamward .01 the inlet end of the conduit so that liquid adjacent the walls of the conduit can into said annular. space inan axial direction, the said spacing distance atthe downstream-endoi said body being no greater thanthe said spacing distance at the up stream and oi said body.-

' 'WALKER r. rn'r'nnsbng ALBERT U. WALTER. 

